Edna Pontellier constitutes the modern day definition of a tragic hero, becoming the pioneer for the freedom of women against the social circumstances in the late Victorian Era. Within The Awakening by Kate Chopin, Edna stands as a testament for self-expression at the sacrifice of her social status, and as a result, falls as a tragic hero. Edna begins subtly defying her husband through ignoring his requests and denying his desires. She slowly breaks away to gain a measure of independence from the controlling factors of her life, away from her oppressive husband and from the Creole society, in which she is expected to conform. In her final act of defiance, Edna seeks to gain be her own person through her liberation from her husband, her liberation
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Even in simple matters, Edna refuses to submit to Mr. Pontellier: “Another time she would have gone in at his request. She would, through habit, have yielded to his desire; not with any sense of submission or obedience to his compelling wishes, but unthinkingly, as we walk, move, sit, stand, go through the daily treadmill of the life which has been portioned out to us” (Chopin 52). Edna initially existed as a slave to her husband, not thinking about her actions nor the reasoning behind his requests. She blindly follows instructions and never questions her habits of following others. Furthermore, the parallelism, “walk, move, sit, stand, go through”, creates a droning tone of repetitiveness, and conveys the message that Edna is consistently following her husband’s orders. Edna decides to become her own woman and disregard her husband’s request, and taking the first step towards …show more content…
Edna does not deny the pursuits of seducers, instead, finds pleasure in another man’s kiss: “It was the first kiss of her life to which her nature had really responded. It was a flaming torch that kindled desire.” (Chopin 139) The fire imagery directly correlates with the longing for self-expression within Edna, and her feverous desires for another man. The words, “flaming” and “kindled” represent the burning passion within Edna, her burning need to leave her husband, and her burning anger towards the Creoles’ society. The burning can also connote Edna’s intentions to burn down the walls of society that confine her, to break free from imprisonment, and to experience life for the first time without the influence of
Even in simple matters, Edna refuses to submit to Mr. Pontellier: “Another time she would have gone in at his request. She would, through habit, have yielded to his desire; not with any sense of submission or obedience to his compelling wishes, but unthinkingly, as we walk, move, sit, stand, go through the daily treadmill of the life which has been portioned out to us” (Chopin 52). Edna initially existed as a slave to her husband, not thinking about her actions nor the reasoning behind his requests. She blindly follows instructions and never questions her habits of following others. Furthermore, the parallelism, “walk, move, sit, stand, go through”, creates a droning tone of repetitiveness, and conveys the message that Edna is consistently following her husband’s orders. Edna decides to become her own woman and disregard her husband’s request, and taking the first step towards …show more content…
Edna does not deny the pursuits of seducers, instead, finds pleasure in another man’s kiss: “It was the first kiss of her life to which her nature had really responded. It was a flaming torch that kindled desire.” (Chopin 139) The fire imagery directly correlates with the longing for self-expression within Edna, and her feverous desires for another man. The words, “flaming” and “kindled” represent the burning passion within Edna, her burning need to leave her husband, and her burning anger towards the Creoles’ society. The burning can also connote Edna’s intentions to burn down the walls of society that confine her, to break free from imprisonment, and to experience life for the first time without the influence of